Valve shows off new Steam Controller, missing touchscreen and all

new Steam Controller redesign
Are you fan of the before or after design?

Valve announced in January that it had redesigned its unique Steam Controller, while showing off the new version to its Steam Dev Days attendees.

The only pictures we got of the redesign came from smartphone snaps of a presentation screen, but today Valve has released the first official shot of the Steam Controller's new look.

It lacks the touchscreen that the original design had, and now includes more physical buttons.

Valve said these changes were implemented thanks to feedback from beta testers.

Previous Steam Controller

Out with the old, in with the new

Trade-offs

It was reported back in January that Valve was also considering replacing the strange dual trackpads with actual analog sticks, but it looks like the touch controls are still around.

The old version featured four physical buttons arrayed around the touchscreen, but without that touchscreen the new Steam Controller has a more traditional layout.

There are four face buttons near the right trackpad, and physical directional buttons on the left.

The trackpads may work for some games, but fans of fighting games and 2D side-scrollers will no doubt appreciate the addition of those directional buttons.

The Steam Controller will launch with SteamOS and Steam Machines sometime this year but we're hoping for a sneak peek during this year's Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco.

  • More of a traditional console person? Here's what we think of the PS4 and Xbox One

Via Engadget

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.